


Love At First Sight

by Directioner1988



Category: Def Leppard, Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story (2001)
Genre: Filming, Love Confessions, M/M, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-10 20:40:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20141668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Directioner1988/pseuds/Directioner1988
Summary: Karl starts to have feelings for Esteban





	Love At First Sight

**Author's Note:**

> My first attempt at writing a story that including the five lads who played Def Leppard in the made for TV movie Hysteria - The Def Leppard Story and is partly fictional  
Although in the film they didn't play their instruments (I read it somewhere) or sing, in the movie they do  
In my story the real Def Leppard help out  
Brief mentions of suicide attempts  
I'll also be skipping several scenes

**People often get asked if they ever believed in love at first sight and some said that they did but others said they didn't...**

**... And as for Karl Geary, well let's say he's a whole different story.**

**A year ago if anyone had dared to ask the Irish actor if he ever believed in love at first sight, he'd laugh in their faces and tell them no he didn't but stopped himself when his thoughts had drifted back to when he met Esteban Geary (back then known as Esteban Powell). The two had met on the set of Hysteria - The Def Leppard Story where they played the Terror Twins Philip Kenneth 'Phil' Collen and Stephen Maynard 'Steve' Clark.**

-Flashback to 2001-

Esteban's first scene as Phil was coming up and as much as he wanted to, he couldn't shake the nerves off and that's when Karl entered the frame, taking the younger lad to one side, he offered him several tips on how to keep calm and relaxed. Thanking him Esteban made his way on the stage while Adam, Orlando, Tat and Karl watched on from the bar. Karl couldn't stop smiling as the camera panned towards the blonde haired guitarist

'I think someone fancies him' Sav whispers to Rick as they noticed Karl's cheeks turn a bright shade of red

'Oh yeah, got to agree with you there' Rick smiled as Esteban began messing up his guitar playing causing Robert Mandel to kindly ask Karl if he could wait until the scene to flirt with Esteban. Turning even redder in the cheeks Karl quietly said yes and just watched on as Esteban eventually managed to get his scene finished

'So how was that?' Esteban asked looking straight at Robert

'Fantastic'

The guitar battle between Steve (Karl) and Phil (Esteban) is where Karl realised just how attractive Esteban really was. Watching as both Karl and Esteban stormed out Adam began to wonder if Karl fancied Esteban but couldn't find a way to tell him. Meanwhile outside the two set about arguing about guitar playing and how they believed they weren't as good as each other. Karl as Steve was worried about his technique while Esteban as Phil was worried about putting his heart and soul into his guitar playing, meanwhile wondering what was taking the duo so long Adam, Tat and Orlando made their way over to the open doors and peeked around them, making Adam out of the blue AND out of character yell 'Karl I know you fancy the pants off Esteban so why not just ask him out'

'Adam' Orlando hissed dragging the actor back inside

'What?' Adam questioned as Tat followed silently behind

'Karl does not fancy Esteban OK'

'Actually I do' Karl admitted re-entering the building where the recording of Pyromania was taking place

'Since when?' Tat now questioning in shock at the tall man's confession

'Yeah since when?'

Struggling to think of an answer, Karl silently thanked the director for calling their names to shoot the next scene of Joe, Sav, Rick and Phil in the pub reading reviews for their latest album when Steve enters holding a newspaper ruining the vibe repeating what the newspaper said about the only reason why they even made a great album was because of Mutt Lange and causing Phil to retort that it was just one stupid review.  
  
During their break from filming Orlando and Tat began talking about the next scene that would include two women to bare the breasts at them, for Karl though he wasn't exactly looking forward to filming the scene and neither was Esteban, albeit it being for different reasons

'Guys, I can't do the next two scenes' Karl blurted out forcing his cast mates to look at him wide eyed and shocked

'What do you mean, you can't do the scene?' Tat asked worried

'What I say, I can't do the next two scenes' Karl repeated

'Do you not find yourself attracted to women?' Orlando asked

'I'm gay of course I don't' Karl spat out a little harshly then he intended it to sound

'You're gay?'

'Yes' Karl looked at the floor on the verge of crying

'Holy shit' Adam exclaimed as Esteban wondered over to where the taller lad was and put his arm around his shoulder as the tears started to fall from Karl's eyes

'It'll be OK' Esteban replied as he felt his t-shirt getting soaked by the older lad's tears 'And if it's any consolation I'm not looking forward to it myself'

'How come?'

'First film I can think of that I've been in where women have had to expose their breasts'

'What about Dazed & Confused?'

'Teens getting bullied' Esteban answered

'Oh'

Entering the room Joe informed the lads that they were needed on the set, when his eyes fell on Karl, who was till being consoled by Esteban 

'Is he OK?' he asked earning a nod of no from Adam and Orlando

'He's dreading the next two scenes' Adam added

'Karl, I know it's going to be hard but if you want to you can look in away for the backstage scene' Joe suggested

'Yes please' Karl whispered 

'What about the scene after it?' Tat catechized

'The hotel scene, he can just watch on or choose to interact with the ladies instead of flirt with them if he likes'

'Sounds good' 

Arriving at the next location, filming continued as the band "performed" on stage to 1000's of screaming girls before the lads made their way backstage where a bunch of women were waiting and just like Joe had offered, Karl looked away as the women exposed their breasts to the band (and making Esteban discover he was not at all attracted to women, as he originally had thought he was), after calling cut on the scene, they moved on to the hotels scene where Karl sat uncomfortably surrounded by women, all watching as the others started pillow fighting and spraying each other with whipped cream while Joe (Orlando) told the lads that Rock of Ages had just gone gold causing more celebrations to be held and for Phil who had won the bet he and Steve had made but never shook on

'Stop, Karl you're supposed to be having fun' Robert yelled 

'Hey, go easy on the kid, he's just came out as gay and is feeling really uncomfortable filming this scene' Joe exclaimed 

'Wait, Joseph did you say Karl just came out as gay?' Sav and Rick asked in unison 

'Yeah I did' 

'Poor mite'

Once the filming was over, Joe, Sav and Rick made sure Karl was OK to talk about how he was feeling

'Karl, if you ever need to talk we'll be here' 

'Thanks and sorry about the scenes' 

'Karl, that's OK, you braved through them and to us that is all that matters' 

'Sav is right and Karl we would never ask you to do a scene if it made you feel uncomfortable' 

'But it annoyed the director' 

'Screw him. Karl, he isn't in the film you are' Joe stood firm as his band mates all looked up at him worried he may have grown a tad protective of the lad 

That night back at his apartment, Karl couldn't get the thoughts of coming out as gay out of his head and by the sound of the voice on the other end of his phone neither could they. 

_'K, it's Tebo' _

_'What's up?' _

_'Can't sleep' _

_'Same here' _

_'K, did you really mean what you said, when you said you fancied me?' _

_'Y-yes I did' Karl stuttered _

_'Oh, OK maybe after we have finished filming this movie, we could go out on our first official date together as boyfriends' _

_'Esteban Louis Powell are you asking me out?' Karl laughed trying to sound serious_

_'I might be, why did it work?' _

_''Yes it did'_

_'Sweet, night'_

_'Night'_

Next morning on set and before filming both Esteban and Karl gathered their cast mates and told them that they were now officially boyfriends, shocking them none the less but it didn't make any difference to them, they loved by lads like they were brothers. Grabbing their attention Joe told the lads that they were needed on set, signalling his goodbye Tat left the trailer and joined both Robert and Rick on set, They were shortly joined by Orlando who had Adam and Esteban by his side, leaving Joe and Karl alone to talk

'Thanks for yesterday' 

'Ah it was no problem, we would have done the same for the others'

'I would have to, if I was in your position' 

'Yeah and going by the loudness of Tat's voice that I heard, you and Esteban are dating?' 

'Yeah, he asked me out last night, we're going on our first official date after filming has wrapped up'

'I'm honestly happy for you both' 

'Thanks and sorry about ruining the scenes yesterday' 

'Karl, it's honestly alright'

'At first I was so terrified about coming out as gay you know, just in case the others judged me but after telling them, it made me feel like they had accepted me for who I was' 

'K, they're a good bunch of lads, they would never had judged you and if they did, they would have me to answer to'

Finally joining the others the scene of them arriving back in Sheffield could now be filmed followed by Tat re-enacting the car scene that caused Rick to lose his left arm, sticking by the baby of the band's side Sav grasped hold of his hand and reassured him that everything will be OK as the haunting memories of that day came flooding back to him. Looking at Joe, he could see something was playing his mind 'You alright Joe?' 

'Something Karl told me'

'Oh'

'Poor soul was so terrified about coming out as gay'

'Coming out is such a big thing though. Just remember what Steve was like when he announced he was gay to us' 

'He was terrified like Karl was yesterday' 

'Exactly and when he told us, he added that he felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders' 

'Just like Karl' 

Once the car scene had been shot, the next scene of Rick (Tat) in hospital could be filmed bringing back even more bad memories for the Thundergod and for Karl to, who just ran out of the building and proceeded to throw up, worried Joe followed the lad and rubbed his back as he continued to expel everything he had eaten

'You OK?' 

'Bad flashbacks' 

'Do you want to talk about it?'

'No thank you, but thank you for the offer' 

'Fair enough, we'd better head back inside before Robert flips his lid at us going missing'

After making sure he was feeling OK, both Karl and Esteban re-entered the hospital where filming continued

'Sorry about that' Karl apologised after Robert shouted 'cut'

'No need to apologize. We've never told anyone this but Steve was terrified about coming out to us as gay in case we judged him, but when he tell us that he was gay, he felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. After one gig he introduced us to his boyfriend, who we found out worked as a marketing PA for some Midlands based company'

'Wow' 

Next scene found the lads minus Tat in one familiar surroundings they soon would end up calling their second home, basically the local where the four would get into a heated argument causing Joe (Orlando) to storm out and Sav (Adam) to consume the rest of his drink, while wondering where to do next since Rick was in hospital. 

'Before we film the scene after this, I should warn I am useless when it comes to talking to women' Karl admitted 

'Jesus Christ mate, anything else you want to tell us' 

'Not that I can think of' 

'Next scene please' Robert called as Karl and an extra made their way to the hospital where Rick was ready to film their 1-on-1 moment before the scene was cut to make for the scene of Peter Mensch (Dean McDermott) picking up a rather wasted Phil and Steve, with the latter paying the price for getting drunk, sighing Peter told the two about friends of his who were American supermodels, who he would love to see the lads take them on a date. After eventually filming the scene Karl tensed up at the thought of even having to talk to a woman 

'K, you alright?' 

'Just fine' Karl lied 

'Wait, you weren't joking was you when you said that you were useless when it came to talking to women?' 

'Nope, I was being serious. The only female I could have a conversation with was my mum' 

'Not even when it came to having a cameo in Sex & The City?'

'I only had a small speaking part before having to share a passionate kiss with Kim Cattrall's character Samantha before following her to hotel suite and you know the next part in what I'm going to say' 

'But you're gay' Adam said shocked at what Karl had told his cast mates

Taking a deep breath Karl started to explain 'While filming for this episode, I found out that I was gay and instead of talking about it, I decided I was going to take my own life. Cynthia Nixon found me, outside the ladies toilets with slit marks to my wrists, she instantly phoned an ambulance and I was rushed to a New York hospital, where I spent a good two months recovering from my ordeal and even then I still didn't accept that I was gay'

'When did you finally come to terms with being gay?' 

'When I got talking to Esteban on how to keep calm and relaxed'

'Not that long ago then?' 

'Yeah' 

'I hate to break up this sentimental moment but Karl, Esteban you're both needed on set' Viv replied

Following the Irish guitarist on set, Esteban quickly took hold of Karl's hand and told him that everything was going to be alright and if anyone stepped out of line, he'd kick their backside making Karl giggle. Surprising to Karl, he did a great job despite his lack of skills when it came to talking to Amber which in time made the tall lad feel proud for achieving such a goal, while vowing never to do a scene like that again. 

As filming continued, their was one scene that was coming up of the band performing for an American audience while on their Hysteria Tour AKA On The Round Tour. Smiling Karl could not have been more thankful to the four lads for helping him get through the chaos of filming such a demanding movie. 

'Ready to film your final scene?' Sav asked as Orlando slipped on the black jacket that was hanging up several seconds ago

'Yeah' the five lads chorused as the made their way on stage where thousands of screaming girls were waiting for the band to make their appearance, they did a few seconds later as they began to belt out the opening lines to Pour Some Sugar On Me

-End Of Flashback-

**Now at the start of 2003 Karl and Esteban are happily married and living in London with their 2 week old fraternal twin sons Stephen Philip Geary and Maynard Kenneth Geary, they keep in touch with Orlando, Tat and Adam whom they made godparents to their twins.**


End file.
